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Vampires
'No one truly knows anything about the creation of the first vampire. Legends have ranged from the curse of Caine to deals made with the devil. Others claim that the first vampire was created by the Necromancers in order to have a slave race. ' 'One thing that is a constant is that they are undead, that they must drink blood in order to survive and that sunlight kills. ' Vampire basics *There are two types of vampires the common vampire and the excommunicate. *Both species are highly allergic to sunlight, Direct sunlight will make them burst into flames and dissipate into white hot papery ash *A stake through the heart will immobilize a vampire, as will a communion wafer in its mouth. *To kill a vampire you must remove its heart or its head, or set it aflame. *With sufficient blood in their system a vampire can turn to mist or take the form of an animal. It is always a predatory animal. Something from their home land (No american vampires turning into bengal tigers or crows for vampires born in the deep jungle.) *they have the ability to control human minds *they can track their prey by scent except across running water. *They cannot cross a salt barrier, and ropes cured with salt can bind them *Vampires can be fed from and enthralled by Necromancers. Occasionally becoming addicted to the feeding and necromantic magic. More specific Information There are two types of vampires in this universe. There are common vampires and those who were excommunicated at the time of their turning. The latter are growing more rare and are generally older vampires as well. For the most part they are identical creatures, with nearly identical powers. A normal vampire is many times stronger, faster and more agile than a human. The excommunicated vampire is stronger, faster and more agile than the normal vampire. Their ability to control minds is increased. Their blood reserves are greater, unfortunately this means they need to feed more. Their weaknesses are also greater.. Vampires are unnatural in their appearance, even though in most cases they can walk amongst humans with no trouble. If they were plain as a human, once turned they become beautiful, The beautiful become breathtaking and those rare individuals who started out with perfect beauty to begin with are painful to look at because of their extreme beauty and may have been mistaken for angels. The reverse is also true. Those who passed plain and on into homely become ugly, the ugly become hideous, and those who had some quality about them to take them into that realm of hideous to begin with, will become nosferatu. Both sorts have severe daylight issues. Sunlight will make them burst into flames and dissipate into nothing but red hot papery ash. There is a potion created by necromancers that a vampire can consume to allow for one day in the sun. There is a price, however , above and beyond the necromancer's payment. After using the potion, for the next 24 hours the vampire is so susceptible to the sun that even the sunlight reflected by the moon is too much and will destroy them. Even diffused or indirect sunlight is enough to set them aflame. They must spend the next 24 hours completely free of the suns light. The older the vampire, the longer it takes them to burst into a man shaped ball of flaming death. Also the amount of blood in the system can delay the effects. A vampire of two or three hundred years with a full stomach might make it from the drive way to the front door if they move fairly quickly with only burn damage. A vampire of 600 with a full stomach could do so gracefully if they were quick and didn’t dawdle. 800 and older could go out check the mail and wave to the neighbors before going back inside and nursing their wounds. Any longer than that and they are all, not to put too fine a point on it, toast. Because of their larger blood reserves it appears that the excommunicate is more resilient, but it’s not. It just has more healing power. Sunscreen does not work. There are no magical rings, no sparkling diamond hard skin. Sunlight kills. A full stomach increases exposure time only because the blood is healing the wounds inflicted by the suns light. Once it’s gone the vampire is not only scorched but hungry to the point of frenzy . During the day the vampire is sluggish. No amount of blood in the system can change this. They don’t collapse into unconsciousness just because the sun crests the horizon, but they do require a minimum of 4 hours sleep, or the sluggishness continues into the night. Forced wakefulness can be used as a means of keeping a vampire weakened and imprisoned, but it takes a lot of hands on effort and you usually end up with a very cranky sleep deprived vampire until it collapses into the vampiric equivalent of a psychotic break. Blood is used to keep them functional through the wakefulness, but once it’s gone the hunger takes over the vampire is dangerous to anyone and anything near it, after this comes coma, and only blood will rouse them at this point. In order to become a vampire one must first be drained of blood by a vampire, and then consume its blood in return. Neither cooperation nor consent is required. The first three days are spent in a coma. This is how some of the myths of being buried alive came to be. The following days are hell on earth as the body regenerates and is reborn as a vampire, leaving humanity behind. For some this transition wipes away more than the physical vestiges of humanity, creating sociopathic monsters. Some are too weak to survive the process and become little more than ravening beasts in a constant state of hunger and frenzy, having only the most rudimentary survival instincts to keep them alive. Most vampires fall in the middle, having much the same mental and emotional faculties as they did in life. It’s the parent vampire’s responsibility to train their new fledgling. While there are no codified rules to vampire society, there is one constant understood Law. If you create it you’re responsible for it. It’s the sire’s duty to destroy the fledgling if they are bestial because they are a threat to all. It is also the sire’s responsibility to teach the fledgling to hunt and use their powers. Because there can be no accidental turnings, there is no excuse for the sire to abandon the fledgling. A vampire can hunt down a specific target by their smell alone. Once they have scented someone they will always recognize them by their smell. They cannot however track prey that has crossed running water, it disturbs the smell, creating the myth that they cannot cross running water. If they have sufficient blood in their system all vampires can turn to mist. Sometimes they can also shift into one animal. It varies from vampire to vampire and isn’t a choice. Fate determines what they become, if its wolf, cat, raven or what have you. It’s always a predatory animal. When they “vamp out” Their skin pales to a deathly pallor , resembling alabaster more than flesh and blood, and their eyes look dead, as though a cloudy film covers them. They have double fangs on top, and their nails lengthen and harden like claws. This only happens involuntarily during frenzy, or when they are about to feed. A vampire can choose to do this as well. It’s the best combat form of the vampire. Their need to feed is based mostly on how much they use their powers, how wounded they are and what sort of blood they eat. Generally speaking a vampire needs to feed twice a week if they just go about their lives, pretending to be human and keeping a low profile. Using abilities during that week tends to make them need to feed one additional time during the week. Heavy use may increase it still. When a vampire is wounded or shifting forms a lot, they need to feed that day in order to resist frenzy. A standard vampire can heal a human’s wounds with their blood, but if given too often it enthralls the human to them. It must be given repeatedly to keep them enthralled, but eventually it will become toxic and ultimately cause an agonizing death. Each human’s tolerance is different so there is no way of knowing when it’s going to hit. The trace amounts of blood enzymes in their saliva is enough to heal the wounds left by their feeding. An Excommunicate has more powerful blood Even a few drops will have the same effects as more substantial amounts of a standard vampires blood. It is however highly toxic to those of genuine faith. Wooden stakes will immobilize vampires, removing the heart or head will kill them, fire will kill them. If they take enough normal damage they will run out of blood and go into hunger frenzy. They have no reaction to garlic, magical plants or silver. They do have a reaction to salt. It doesn’t bother them in food, but they cannot cross a salt barrier, ropes cured in salt will bind them. Common vampires are uncomfortable on holy ground and cannot take violent action there, a cross will repel them but not burn their flesh, communion wafers will immobilize them when placed in their mouths. It was a favored tactic of old world vampire hunters, to either stake them in their sleep or slip the waver in their mouths before decapitating the vampire. Less time for retaliation if you use the wafer. The stake doesn’t hit the heart with the first blow after all. Humans just aren’t that strong. Holy water is painful but only causes surface burns. An excommunicate cannot set food on holy ground. Its physically impossible. Crosses burn their flesh, holy water is like acid, Communion wafers not only immobilize them but cause damage as well. The only up side to this for this type of vampire is that they can sense the presence of holy items. Vampires are vulnerable to necromancers like any other dead being. There is a ritual that necromancers do to enthrall a vampire, creating loyalty and affection and even unwilling obedience. To perform the ritual however they need the vamps blood and other spell components. They must also touch the vampire during the final stage of the ritual. The vampire is a source of power and life force for the necromancer. They can also be used as “living” divination tools whether they are bound to them or not. While a necromancer cannot enthrall a vampire that belongs to another necromancer, they can do everything else. Being fed on by a necromancer can be addictive, and affect a vampire like a drug. It’s not a common thing to become addicted to being fed on, or to necromantic magic in general, and when it happens its tragic. Usually these vampires, even if freed from their original masters or captors, will seek out other necromancers hoping to be enthralled again or fed from. Usually they die on the altar of a less than scrupulous necromancer being cut open time and again for rituals.